Surgical table



2 Sheeis-Sheet l G. W. HWLEY SURGICAL TABLE Filed Nov. 29, 1932 L- LJ I INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS March 16, M37.,

V I l l l l l l l l l I ll March 16, 1937., G, W, HAWLEY .`\1;I

SURGICAL TABLE Filed Nov. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 16, 1937 SURGICAL TABLE George W. Hawley, Colorado Springs, Colo., assignor to Scanlan-Morris Company, Madison,

Wis.

Application November 29, 1932, Serial No. 644,770

4 Claims.

This invention relates to surgical tables, and more particularly to tables for use in the treatment of fractures of the bone structure.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a table so constructed that X-ray photographs of fractures at any part of the body of a patient reclining on the table, may be taken without disturbing the position of the patient.

By the use of a table made in accordance with 19 the present invention, the patient remains on the table upon which he is originally placed to be examined and operated on by the surgeon, while X-ray pictures of the fractured part or parts of the bone-structure are' made by means of a portable X-ray camera or tube.

The pictures may be taken in any direction without moving the patient to a stationary or non-portable X-ray machine, as is the usual practise heretofore employed, and not only is the patient relieved from the annoyance and discomfort incident to his being moved from one table to another, but the work of the surgeon is greatly facilitated, and thedanger of the vicinity of exposed high tension wires present in the use of the stationary machines is completely avoided.

In the use of a table constructed according to the invention, a portable X-ray machine, having all wires and connections in insulating coverings and including a transformer within an insulating housing, may be employed with utmost safety.

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of practically constructed and arranged parts, with easily effected adjustments, for the "5 support of the body and limbs of the patient,

while the fractured bones are being vset and immobilized by means of casts, splints, bandages and other similar appliances, the said parts in- 40 cluding efficient means for exerting sufficient traction wherever required.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the construction and arrangement of elements and parts hereinafter to `4.5 be described and illustrated in simple and practical form in the accompanying drawings.

Reference is had of my Patent No. 1,126,460, issued January 26, 1915, which disclosed a surgical table expressly constructed for the treatment 50 of fractures, in its original form.

In the drawings, in the several views of which like parts are similarly designated,

Figure 1 represents a partially broken plan or top View of a fracture table embodying the diS- 55 tinctive features of my invention,

(Cl. 12S-71) Figure 2 is a side elevation of the table, shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an. end view of the table looking in 5 the direction of the arrows 4 in Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 5 is a section in a vertical plane designated by the line 5--5 in Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a fractional section taken on the lirel 6--6 in Figure 2,' and drawn to an enlarged 10 sc e,

Figure '7 is a fractional elevation, looking inA the direction of the arrow 'I in Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged section along the line 8-8 in Figure 2. 15

Referring further to the drawings, my improved table comprisesv a flat top supported at its ends upon a structure hereinafter to be described. The top, upon which in practise the patient reclines, is composed of a body-supporting section 5, and a 20 head-rest section 6 in longitudinal alinement. Either or both of the sections are composed of a material non-obstructive to X-rays, such as a fibrous composition capable of being penetrated by the rays. 25

The top may be made of a wood fiber surfaced with a thin veneer of bakelite. This offers little obstruction to Athe X-ray and does not produce graining on radiographs. The bakelite veneer gives a clean, smooth surface. 30

The frame or supporting structure of the table is of skeleton construction and comprises two barmembers 1 and 8 supported upon legs 9 and I0. The two members are lengthwise alined and connected by a circular member I2, commonly known as the abduction ring.

The head-rest section of the table is supported upon a stand I3 erected on an end of the supporting structure, and it is slidable on the stand for separate adjustment or for complete removal, if so desired. The stand has to this end, a T- shaped flange Ill and the table-section has at its underside a slide-way I5 in which the flange is movably fitted, as best shown in Figure 3.

At the edges of the head-section are lugs I6, for the support of a lateral extension I1 of the section 6, as shown in Figure 4. The extension may likewise be made of fibrous material through which X-rays can penetrate. The extension has hooks I8 which fit into the lugs I6, and it is 50 provided with hinged braces I8 which at their free ends are inserted in sockets I9 on the bary member 1 of the support.

By providing lugs at opposite sides oi the head-rest section of the top, and sockets at opposite sides of the leg, the extension is readily applied at either side of the table. The headsection may be provided with apertures 20 for the attachment of straps, bandages and the like.

The main section 5 of the top is lengthwise divided into two parts which are spaced from each other in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the table. The two-part top section rests loosely in two chairs 2|, which are supported on the under structure by means of rocker-arms 22.

The arms 22 are pivoted at their ends to the chairs and to lugs 23 on the support, so that by movement of the arms about their lower pivots, the chairs 2| and the top-section supported thereon, may be lowered to any desired elevation within the arcs of movement of the arms. This movement of the chairs is effected through the instrumentality of an endless screw 24 rotatably mounted beneath the bar member 8 of the supporting structure and provided with a hand wheel 25 at an end of the same.

A nut 26 supported by the screw is connected with one of the chairs 2| by means of a pivoted link 21, so that by rotation of the hand-wheel, the nut may be moved along the screw in either direction, and the chairs with the thereon supported top-section may be correspondingly raised or lowered.

It will be apparent that the two parts of the top-section are readily removed from the chairs whenever necessary. In the center of the circular member I2 of the supporting structure, erected upon a transverse brace 28, is an upright hollow post 29 which projects through the space between the two parts of the top-section, and which is known as the perineal post.

Telescopically arranged in the post are a tube 30 and a rod 3| for the support of devices used in suspending a patient on the table.v At the upper end of the rod are diverging, pivoted and notched arms 32 for the application of slings or other devices, for the suspension of the body or limbs of a patient above the top of the table.

On the tube and above the table-top is a hiprest 33. It is to be noted that either or both of the arms and the hip-rest are easily removed when their services are not required. The tube 30, in addition to supporting the hip-rest, may be employed to engage the crotch of the patient.

For the support of the feet and legs of a patient reclining on the table, I provide two elements of the following construction:

Each element consists of an arm assembly 31 pivoted at one end, on the central post, and projecting rearwardly of the table across the upper edge of the circular member of the supporting structure.

Each arm comprises three telescoping parts, 34, 35 and 36, the innermost one, 36, of which is screw-threaded for cooperation with a nut 38 in the outer section.

At the outer end of the screw-threaded part, is a hand-wheel 39, and between this handwheel and the end of the middle part of the arm, is clamped a laterally outwardly projecting bracket 40.

At the outer end of the bracket is a bore for the support of an upright standard 4|, which, at its upper end, carries the foot and leg-supporting appliances.

'I'he standard is slidable in the bore of the bracket and it is held in its adjusted positions by a set-screw 42.

'I'he two diverging arms 31 may move about the central post of the table through an angle greater than and close to 180 and in order to lock them in adjusted positions, they are provers. The circular'member has a series of aper- L', tures 46 into any one of which the latch roda.

43 may be projected by the pressure of the spri'n'g 45. 'Ihus the arms are locked at adjusted angles of divergence.

The foot and leg supporting appliances hereinbefore referred to consist of a rest 41 for the sole of the foot, at the end of a bar 48 of angular section which extends through a correspondingly formed opening at the upper end of the standard 4|. 'I'he bar is slidable for horizontal adjustment, and it is secured in adjusted positions by a set-screw 49 on the standard. Immediately below the foot rest is a stirrup 5U for the application of a bandage, by which the foot of the patient may be secured for traction in order to set a fractured bone, and for the application of a plaster cast, splint or other means to establish immobilization of the afllicted parts.

'I'his stirrup per se is the subject of a. separate application for patent filed simultaneously with the present application. The stirrup is carried by a rod 5|, in pivotal connection with a sleeve 52 slidable on the standard 4I. A set-screw 53 serves to hold the sleeve at any desired elevation above the top of the table.

By vertical adjustment of the standard and/or by adjustment of the stirrup on the standard, the leg of a patient reclining on the table may be held in suspension at any desired angle, and by lengthening the arm 31 by rotation of the hand-wheel 39, the foot appiiances may be ad justed according to the length of the leg and proper traction may be applied.

Having thus described the construction of the improved surgical table, it will be apparent that the form and arrangement of the parts of the supporting structure permit of placing an X- ray camera or tube beneath any part of the top without obstruction of the rays in a vertical direction.

In this connection, it is to be noted that by the provision of the brackets 40 extending laterally from the arms 31, the latter do not obstruct the passage of vertically directed rays to any part of the legs of a patient supported on the arms, through the medium of the standards, the stirrups and the foot rests.

Since the top of the table is made of flbrous material readily penetrated by the rays, any part of the body of the reclining patient may be photographed, and all this may be accomplished without disturbing the position of the patient. It follows that the operation of taking the pictures does in no way interfere with the activities of the surgeon and that the pictures can be taken at any phase of the operation, without any disturbance other than momentary interruption of the surgical work.

The body and limbs of the patient are readily moved to any desired position and fixed in place by the several appliances herein described, the arms 31 making it possible to spread the legs to any desired angle, of which the crotch-engaging post 29 is the apex. The hip-rest 33 provides a support for the body in a suspended position, and while the diverging arms 32 are specially provided for the application of a body or limb-supporting sling or bandage, they may be removed and replaced by a V-shaped bar not shown in the drawings, which, in cooperation with the hiprest, functions to fix the pelvis in methods of hipreduction.

The head-rest section 6 of the top of the table is easily removed and may be interchanged with other sections of different size or form, and the extension I1 may be used for supporting an arm of the patient in a position for taking X-ray pictures by a machine held beneath the extension.

The top of the table may be raised or lowered to any desired elevation, as stated hereinbefore, or it may be entirely removed, in which case the body of the patient is suspended by the several appliances herein described.

The annular member I2 of the supporting structure provides a support for the arms 31 through an angle of more than This large angular movement is. often of great importance in applying tension to certain portions of the body.

In using the terms X-ray, X-ray camera, or X-ray tube, it is to be understood that the apparatus, as shown and described, is adapted equally well for the use of a fluoroseope or other instrument of similar character. y

What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A surgical table comprising a top for the support of a human body, a support for the top including foot-supported alined bar members connected by an annular member, a post extend ing upwardly from the center of the annular member, arms having one end pivoted to the post, the free ends of the arms having laterally extending brackets, a standard slidably mounted in the end of each bracket and leg-supporting appliances carried by the standards.

2. A surgical table comprising a top mounted on a support, for the support of a body, appliances for the suspension of the legs of the body, said support including foot supported aligned bar members, a circular member connecting said aligned bar members, arms for the support of the appliances, pivoted to the circular member at the center thereof for independent movement through an angle greater than 90, and means forfholding the armsiin adjusted position, said circular member serving as a support for the arms throughout the range adjustment of the arms.

3. A surgical table comprising a top mounted on a support, for the support of a body, appliances for the suspension of the legs of the body, said support including foot supported aligned bar members, a curved member connecting said aligned bar members, the opposed sides of the curvedv member being curved in the arc of a circle through an angle of substantially arms pivoted to the curved sides midway thereof and supported on said curved sides for an angular movement greater than 90, said curved members serving as a support for the arms throughout the range adjustment of the arms, and means for latching the arms in adjusted position.

4. An orthopedic and fracture table comprising a top for the support of a human body, a horizontally disposed support'for the top, said support including foot supported aligned bar members extending centrally thereof in lengthwise direction, a circular member connecting said aligned bar members, a post extending vertically from the center of said circular member, an appliance for fastening the limbs of the body, two arms, each having one end pivoted to the post for an angular movement thereabout, said circular member serving. as a support for the arms throughout the range adjustment thereof, the free end of each arm having a bracket extending laterally therefrom for carrying the appliances, and means for changing the lengths of the arms to apply tension to the limbs.

GEORGE W. HAWLEY. 

